Wire bending jig and garment hanger produced therewith



Feb. 21, 1967 A. M. GORSKI WIRE BENDING JIG AND GARMENT HANGER PRODUCED THEREWITH Filed June 29, 1964 5 mm 0% W. a M M AB J 43 L, Q 7M 5 United States Patent 3,304,961 1 WIRE BENDING JIG AND GARMENT HANGER PRODUCED THEREWITH Adam M. Gorski, 138 S. Yale Ave., Villa Park, 111. 60181 Filed June 29, 1964, Ser. No. 378,698 3 Claims. (Cl. 140-104) The present invention relates to a wire-bending device and, more particularly, to a jig for bending a wire coat hanger to provide a modified hanger finding utility as a hanger for childrens garments. More specifically, this invention pertains to a simple and effective jig by means of which a commercial wire hanger of the conventional type may be simply and readily converted to a childrens coat hanger or garment hanger having shortened shoulders and a shortened cross-bar.

Also included within the scope of this invention are methods of fabricating the improved wire bending jig and the method of its use.

There has been a long felt need for a simple device by means of which a conventional wire hanger might be converted to a hanger more suited for use with childrens garments. It is the aim of the present invention to provide such a device, to teach asimple method for its use, and to fabricate a garment hanger having specific utility for the purpose intended.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a bending device or jig which is simple in use so that no special skills will be required in obtaining professional-like results.

It is a related object of the invention to provide a wirebending jig which may be simply clamped in position and which may then be used without the necessity for auxiliary tools.

A further object is to provide a bending device in which the coat hanger may be re-formed by an amateur to achieve consistently reproducible results.

A more detailed object of the invention is to provide a modified coat hanger having foreshortened shoulders and a shortened horizontal rail and comprising a generally triangular body having a pair of opposed inwardly extending loops at opposite lateral ends, all of the hanger being in one plane.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the wire bending device of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the wire bending device mounted between the jaws of the vise;

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 illustrate schematically the manner of use of the jig in bending a conventional wire hanger;

FIGURE 6 is a general side elevational view of a hanger produced in accordance with the practice of the invention and depicting, in phantom, the physical form of the original hanger prior to modification.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in FIGURE 1, for the purpose of the illustrative disclosure, a preferred embodiment of the jig or wire bending device of the invention. In the preferred device depicted, the jig 10 illustrated comprises, as best shown in FIGURE 1, a mounting block or base 12 which is surmounted by a backing post or forming post 14, the latter comprising a cylindrical section having an annular groove 16 circumferentially disposed about the cylindrical section within the peripheral body portion thereof. The depending base or mounting block 12 is adapted to permit clamping of the jig in a vise 20 which serves to stabilize and hold the jig during use. The forming post 14 may be integral .24 and is in line with the guide R.

3,304,961 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 with the base 12, but in a preferred embodiment of the invention the forming post is preferably a separate element which is fabricated of a reinforced plastic material and is then fastened to the mounting block 12 which is conveniently made of wood. The precise materials of construction are not critical and the entire device may be made either of wood, metal, plastic, or a combination of these. Different parts of the device may be fabricated of different structural materials.

Embedded in and extending upwardly of mounting block 12 is a pin 24 which serves as an anchor for the lateral corner or bend of the wire hanger during the forming operation. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the pin 24 is located proximate the periphery or perimeter of the forming post and is positioned slightly inwardly of the outer'limit of the post for keying engagement with the post 14. A segment 28 of the upper portion 30 of the forming post is cut away in the region of the anchor pin 24 down to the annular groove '16 to facilitate positioning of a wire hanger 32 over the pin 24 and into the groove 16. In the preferred embodiment depicted the forming post 14 is fastened to the supporting block or base 12 by means of a screw 36 which extends through the center or axis of the forming post 14 and is anchored in the mounting block 12. The combination of the screw with the keying anchor pin 24 precludes displacement or movement of the forming post during the hanger shaping operation.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 through 5, the method of using the jig or wire bending device will be pointed out. The jig 10 is mounted in a vise 20, the jaws 40 and 41 of which clamp against the base 12. With the jig held firmly in position, the corner 44 of the hanger 32 is positioned over the anchor pin 24 with the base 46 of the hanger adjacent the planar face 48 formed at the cut-away portion or segment of the forming post. The 'base 46 of the hanger is inserted into the groove 16, and with the hanger guided and held in the groove and maintained in the plane defined by the groove, the hanger is turned counterclockwise to introduce progressively increasing lengths of the base 46 into the groove 16, as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4. It will be readily understood, and as illustrated in the figures, as the hanger is revolved about the forming post, the shoulder portion 50 of the hanger also enters the groove 16 and is reshaped or formed along with the base 46 of the hanger. As illustrated in FIGURE 4, the

forming operation is discontinued when the base 46 of the hanger is still somewhat removed from the anchor pin The base and the shoulder portions of the hanger form an inwardly extending loop 52. Rotation is then reversed slightly to facilitate removal of the modified hanger from the pin 24 and the associated forming groove 16. The opposite corner of the hanger is formed in the same manner but in an opposite direction to provide the counterpart 54 of the first loop 52. This time the guide line L is used.

It will now be apparent that there is provided an improved wire bending device combining simplicity of operation with reliability of structure. The required reforming of a conventional wire hanger may be readily achieved by an amateur with a high degree of reproducibility and precision. Little or no special skill is required in operating the device and the invention is uniquely suited for use by home mechanics. From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and use of the device will be readily understood.

While disclosures of prefer-red embodiments of the device and of preferred methods for assembly and utilization of the device have been provided, it will be apparent that numerous modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing from underlying principles of the invention. It is, therefore, desired by the following claims to include within the scope of the invention all such variations and modifications by which substantially the results of this invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

What is claimed:

1. A wire bending jig adapted for shaping a one-piece wire garment hanger of an originally generally triangular configuration and including shoulder supporting bars and a cross bar to provide a shortened cross bar and shoulders carrying integral inwardly extending and opening loop portions below said cross bar at opposed ends thereof, said jig comprising:

a block-like base;

a forming post supported on said base;

said post having a circumferential, annular, wire-receiving groove therearound and extending radially inwardly of a peripheral lateral surface of said post;

said groove being adapted to receive and retain laterally superimposed incremental lengths of wire of said shoulder supporting bars and said cross bar during a wire loop forming operation wherein said hanger is bent upon itself to form a bight portion and an inwardly opening double wire hook below and spaced from said cross bar;

a wire loop anchoring pin embedded in said base and stabilized to resist lateral tipping forces applied thereto;

said pin extending upwardly of said base adjacent the periphery of said forming post and transversely of a plane defined by said annular groove of said forming post;

said pin being adapted to receive a corner of said hanger thereabout and to retain said corner in fixed position during forming of said loop portions of said hanger in said annular groove about said forming post.

2. The wire bending jig of claim 1 wherein a peripheral sector of said post adjacent said pin and above a plane defined by said annular wire-receiving groove is cut away to facilitate positioning of said corner of said hanger about said anchoring pin and placement of said wire in said groove and removal therefrom.

3. The method of reforming a conventional one-piece wire hanger of a generally triangular configuration and having a pair of sloping shoulders joined by a horizontal base therebelow to provide a childrens coat hanger having shortened shoulders and a shortened base, said method comprising the steps of:

securing a wire-bending jig against rotational movement in response to annular forces applied thereto during a wire forming operation;

anchoring a .corner of said wire hanger defined by a shoulder and said base of said hanger over and against an anchor pin embedded in said jig; inserting said base of said hanger radially into an annular groove of a forming post of said jig; rotating said hanger about said anchor pin to introduce increasing lengths of said base and a shoulder of said hanger intosaid groove to provide an inwardly opening double wire hook below said base of said hanger and adjacent a lateral end thereof to shorten said shoulder and said base of said hanger.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 337,006 2/1886 Mahon l82 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner' RICHARD J. HERBST, Examiner.

E. M. COMBS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A WIRE BENDING JIG ADAPTED FOR SHAPING A ONE-PIECE WIRE GARMENT HANGER OF AN ORIGINALLY GENERALLY TRIANGULAR CONFIGURATION AND INCLUDING SHOULDER SUPPORTING BARS AND A CROSS BAR TO PROVIDE A SHORTENED CROSS BAR AND SHOULDERS CARRYING INTEGRAL INWARDLY EXTENDING AND OPENING LOOP PORTIONS BELOW SAID CROSS BAR AT OPPOSED ENDS THEREOF, SAID JIG COMPRISING: A BLOCK-LIKE BASE; A FORMING POST SUPPORTED ON SAID BASE; SAID POST HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL, ANNULAR, WIRE-RECEIVING GROOVE THEREAROUND AND EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY OF A PERIPHERAL LATERAL SURFACE OF SAID POST; SAID GROOVE BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND RETAIN LATERALLY SUPERIMPOSED INCREMENTAL LENGTHS OF WIRE OF SAID SHOULDER SUPPORTING BARS AND SAID CROSS BAR DURING A WIRE LOOP FORMING OPERATION WHEREIN SAID HANGER IS BENT UPON ITSELF TO FORM A BIGHT PORTION AND AN INWARDLY OPENING DOUBLE WIRE HOOK BELOW AND SPACED FROM SAID CROSS BAR; A WIRE LOOP ANCHORING PIN EMBEDDED IN SAID BASE AND STABILIZED TO RESIST LATERAL TIPPING FORCES APPLIED THERETO; SAID PIN EXTENDING UPWARDLY OF SAID BASE ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FORMING POST AND TRANSVERSELY OF A PLANE DEFINED BY SAID ANNULAR GROOVE OF SAID FORMING POST; SAID PIN BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A CORNER OF SAID HANGER THEREABOUT AND TO RETAIN SAID CORNER IN FIXED POSITION DURING FORMING OF SAID LOOP PORTIONS OF SAID HANGER IN SAID ANNULAR GROOVE ABOUT SAID FORMING POST. 